PANAJI
The State government has decided to seek special approval from the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for handling iron ore dumps lying within the forest areas including wildlife sanctuaries.
The government on Friday notified the ‘Policy for Regulating Iron Ore Dump Handling in the State of Goa’, according to which the State will transport 25 million tonnes of dumps annually.
In the first phase, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has decided to auction the un-stabilized dumps lying outside the lease area- government or private land, soon after the dump profile study is completed.
As per the declarations provided by the Concessionaires/ erstwhile Lessees, the total stock of dumps in Goa exceeds 700 Million Metric tonnes as on date.
The policy states that since some of the dumps are within forest areas including sanctuaries causing problems for wild life, the State Government will seek special approval (if required) from the MOEF for the removal of these dumps.
“The approval will be also for the purpose of filling large pits of closed mines in the interests of afforestation, and wildlife preservation,” the policy stated. DMG will also seek a report from the State forest department ascertaining that the removal of such a dump is in the interest of the flora, fauna, forest cover and wildlife.
The policy covers all dumps including tailing dumps, existing as on date, inventoried and not inventorized created from mining activities and which fall within and outside the lease areas, irrespective of whether they form a part of the inventory of dumps maintained by DMG or not.
“Priority will be accorded to dumps which are unstable, adjoining water bodies or otherwise sensitive in nature. Prior to processing any dump for auction, the Directorate of Mines and Geology will conduct a dump profile study of each dump,” the policy stated.
DMG has clarified that the Policy does not apply to those dumps which are located within the lease areas of leases which have been successfully auctioned and as such the successful bidder will be allowed to handle dumps along with other mining activity, subject to having obtained all the necessary approvals and upon the execution of the lease deed.
“All dumps which have not been approved or shown in the mining plan sanctioned by the IBM shall be deemed to be completely illegal and neither the lease holder nor any other person shall have any right to the same. Such dumps shall be compulsorily auctioned by the government,” the policy stated.
In case of those inventorized dumps situated on private properties, outside the lease area and depicted on mining plan, the erstwhile leaseholder will be allowed to handle it provided if the conversion fees are paid under the Goa Land Revenue Code and that the private entity would be entitled for the compensation. “In case of government property, irrespective of depiction on mining plan or payment of conversion fees, the same would be auctioned by the government,” the policy mentioned.
In the event the dump in question is the subject matter of an SIT inquiry, the department has said that the same would be auctioned upon intimation to the SIT, as the continued presence of the dump in no manner facilitates or assists the investigation.
